Effect of fortifying goat milk yogurt with taro corms paste on the quality of yogurt produced during cold storage

Goat milk yogurt is a suitable base for incorporating novel ingredients such as probiotics, fruits, vegetables and their derivatives. Taro corms are known for their health benefits and are rich in bioactive components. This study investigated how different concentrations of taro corms paste (5, 10, 15 and 20%) affected on the physical, microbiological, sensory, nutritional , technological and antioxidant properties (ascorbic acid, total antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds) of goat yogurt over 28 days of refrigeration. The results showed that fortification of goat milk yogurt with taro corms paste improved the nutritional value of fortified yogurt samples due to increasing the contents of total solids, protein, ash and fiber with increasing fortification percentage, in addition to increasing the contents of phenolic substances, vitamin C and antioxidant activity. Throughout the storage period tested, the numbers of probiotics in all formulations ranged from 7 to 8 log CFU mL-1). Fortification with taro corms paste also caused more significant physical changes (improved texture, viscosity and whey separation) in yogurt compared to goat yogurt alone. Taro corms paste also reduced syneresis during storage, thus maintaining the physical quality of yogurt. Consumers preferred yogurt containing 5% and 10% taro corms paste over those containing 15% and 20% because its addition resulted in undesirable high viscosity with the appearance of a vegetal taste. Given the addition of taro corms paste with potential beneficial properties, the manufacture of goat milk yogurt with taro corms paste is one way to produce a new goat milk product